Review on CARL HC-340 Metallic Medium-Duty 3 Hole Paper Punch with 40 Sheet Capacity by Lori Aguirre

I'm so glad I bought this - I just wish I had done it sooner! I'm working on a project that has several printouts and folders that need to be kept. I got by with a longer punch with three holes and a lever for many years. It only punched 20 sheets and took up more space, and the smoke catcher kept falling off, spreading fumes all over the floor. The Carl 63040 punches much easier and better than my old one and takes up less space on the small shelf I have to keep it on. The paper instructions are the best I've seen. The locking mechanism is simple: you lock the handle by flipping a small hook on the back instead of maneuvering the lever into the locked position. I initially had trouble opening the Chad trap from below because the bottom looks solid and there were no instructions on how to open it. It took me a while to figure out that it just detaches from the two tabs on the outer edge of the punch (to get it back just slide it back into the tabs and close like you would the battery compartment of a TV remote control or another close kitchen clock). I blame the company for not providing the buyer with a sticker explaining how to do this, but I'm still very happy with my purchase. Definitely deserves 5 stars.